this is 9news now. tonight disturbing new details about that compounding facility linked to the deadly meningitis outbreak that has already claimed lives in virginia and in maryland. over the last 24 hours, there have been four more deaths. the death toll now 19 nationwide. >> plus more medication from the pharmacy may be tainted. and what's even more disturbing is we've learned manufacturing at the new england compounding center was questioned before.

today i sat down with pain management specialist who shared a dc panel on this outbreak. he says the sterility of the same steroid for back pain was called in six years ago. >> reporter: fda was in this lab or pharmacy 2006 and they found they had a problem in 2006. that's six years ago. so where was the follow-up with respect to them. >> any change in your opinion? >> i think it does. we need better oversite. the law on the books just like anything, they're there. they just need enforcement. now, whether it's you need more manpower to enforce or whatever the case may be, more laws, i don't know, necessarily help if you don't enforce them. >> so exactly how this happened, that is what has gotten the questions going here. how did it happen. and here is the deal, derek, as far as how this pharmacy was shipping so much. the higher value pharmacies, they're the one under fda

scrutiny. the smaller ones are under state farm see boards but there seems -- pharmacy boards but there seems to be a gray zone that needs to be addressed. >> so this pharmacy was shipping some thousands of doses all over the country. >> that's exactly. compounding companies were supposed to start out as mom and pop operations mixing up special druz and solutions for people -- drugs and solutions for people with allergies, different needs. but there is a nationwide shortage of en jektibles injectables. doctors and hospitals have turned to the compounding pharmacies to mix up what they need. the question is are they doing it safely. and we got this response from the fda on this just moments before we went on the air. the fda's regulatory authority over compounding pharmacies is more limited on statutes. compounding pharmacies and pharmacists are responsible for the quality and safety of the drugs they produce for patients.

the fda also says once this immediate crisis is contained, they're going to work with legislatures, with the states to prevent a future tragedy. >> and containing the current crisis has to be priority now. >> yes. well, fooled all along. a wanna be terrorist thought he was going to carry out an attack in new york city today. we carry out the reaction who says the timing of this bust no coincidence. kenny. >> reporter: the arrest according to one cia officer may be playing into current day politics, especially coming off the heels of the attack on our embassy. this is the man federal investigators claim wanted to kill americans. 21-year-old quazi mohammad rezwanul ansan nafis came to the u.s. from bangladesh on a student visa but according to authorities his real intention was to carry out a terrorist

attack. agents pretending to be al qaeda arranged meetings where they planned the attack with a fake bomb. >> he was motivated by al qaeda. >> reporter: he was accused of driving a van with a 1,000-pound bomb to the federal reserve bank in manhattan. he then allegedly tried to detonate the bomb. as planned, it didn't work and he was arrested putting an end to the sting operation. >> he was thinking with his heart, not his head. this was another example of the fbi of doing an effective job of undercover operations. >> reporter: but an expert, the timing of the bust may be politically motivated. >> the white house well comes the attention. >> reporter: this is an opportunity for the obama administration to flex its muscle and show their ability to counter tear terroristic effects. >> the department of justice

still has a significant control over the timing of when they would launch this kind of thing. >> reporter: nafis faces prison in life for intending to use a weapon of mass destruction. >> thank you, ken. new tonight at 11:00, police in silver spring on the look out for a hit-and-run driver. they say a black pickup truck hit a woman on university boulevard right near east wayne avenue. that woman was elderly and she hurt her head. they don't think her injuries are life-threatening, though. they also say she was not crossing in a crosswalk when she was hit. apparently right after this, other cars crashed into each other trying to avoid her. a day after his confrontational debate with president obama, mitt romney brought his campaign to leesburg this evening, reemphasizing the importance of virginia as a crucial swing state in year. gary nurenberg was there and was struck by one story romney told the crowd of about 8,000. gary. >> reporter: well, anita, as you know, romney has been criticized for being a robotic

campaigner who sometimes leaves audiences flat. but we saw a remarkable story. it's not what we usually put on newscasts because frankly it's long. we edited the story for time, and it ends our report. >> we're going to win virginia. >> reporter: it's on his list of critical swing states. the reason he was here a day after the most recent debate with the president. >> i love these debates we've been having. those have been a lot of fun. >> reporter: there was an unusual moment before romney took the stage when andy greg got applause when he said he knows what god romney prays to. the audience appears moved by romney's reaction to a story told by a scout master about a colorado boy scout troop and his special american flag. >> then they had it flown in unusual places, including above the capitol dome. and then when it came home, they said we would like to have it also go up on the space shuttle. and so they contacted nasa. and so it went on the space shuttle. he said you can imagine how

proud the boys were. looking from their home rooms at school watching the tv set as they watched the shuttle launch with great pride. and then they saw it explode on the tv screen before their eyes. and the scout master said he called nasa a couple of weeks later and said have you found any reminant of the flag. >> reporter: the answer was no. but months later that changed. >> nasa came together with the boy scout troop and their parents and they were presented with a plastic container. and the boys opened it up and there inside was their flag in perfect condition. [ cheers and applause ] >> and he said and that's on the flag pole. and i reached over and i grabbed the flag and pulled it out and it was if electricity was running through my arm. as i thought about the sacrifice of our men and women in the space program. >> reporter: the lesson. >> the nature of america to live for something bigger than ourselves. >> reporter: romney supporters

will see that story as authentic. it was a moment we wanted you to see. i know what god mitt romney prays to remark from the country singer, we asked what the dpan had to say about that -- campaign had to say about that and they said the singer was speaking for himself and we don't agree with the comment. derek and anita. >> an interesting night. thank you. virginia wasn't the only battle ground state that got a visit today. president obama campaign ng iowa and ohio. he talked about last night's heated debate with mitt romney and he also had some advice for his supporters. >> governor romney continues to run around talking about his plan for the economy. wait, wait, wait. don't boo. vote. [ cheers and applause ]. >> that's right. you heard the president. get out and vote this year. make such your voice is heard. 20 days left until this election. obama and romney hold their third and final debate next monday in boca raton, florida.

get ready for the million puppet march. more than a thousand march ers are going to be out -- marchers are going to be out on the mall next month. the rally was planned in response to mitt romney's first debate calling for the elimination of government funding for pbs which airs the popular show sesame street. well, tonight we have news about george mcgovern. he is no longer responsive and is nearing the end. he was a democratic presidential nominee who lost to president nixon back in 1972. before that, he served more than two decades in congress. george mcgovern, 90 years old. a judge has thrown out the most serious charge leveled against the pair of prince george's county cops now accused of beating a student at the university of maryland. now off the books that first degree assault charge the judge said there is not enough evidence for it but still facing the officers charges of second

degree assault and misconduct in office. all this stemming from an incident caught on tape in 2010 when reginald baker and james harrison arrested a maryland student who was celebrating a basketball win over duke. well, a judge has set the date for what could turn out to be one of the most closely watched trials in american history. it's the murder trial of george zimmerman, the man who shot trayvon martin. that trial date is set for june 10th of next year. now, zimmerman was on patrol as a neighborhood watch volunteer the night he shot the teenager last february. he claims it was self-defense, that martin attacked him. but martin was not armed. anita. more fallout from lance armstrong from his doping scandal and professional cycling. he took some big hits. today he lost two major endorsements and he also stepped down as the chairman of the live strong cancer fighting charity he helped create. he made the announcement saying he wanted to spare the council

any negative effects around my cycling career. >> in order to protect this organization, its mission and its service that it provides to people affected by cancer, the best thing to do was to step away. >> nike and anheuser-busch also severing ties with the cyclist. both companies say they'll continue to sport live strong. the fallout stems from last week's report from the us anti-doping agency detailing allegations of his leading role in organized use of performance-enhancing drugs. he has consistently denied doping. armstrong says he and his family will continue their service to live strong and the cancer community and he plans to remain on the board. this guy caused quite a commotion in the skies. wait until you hear what he did following a 50-day bender. well, they spend days lost in glach er nag glacier national park. 68 today.

here is your wake up weather. pretty mild. we're looking at mid 40s to mid 50s at 5:00. by 9:00 everybody is in the 50s with mild conditions. we'll come back. tomorrow is code yellow. we'll tell you why. and here is tonight's fact from face the facts usa.org. we'll be right back.

after four full days stranded out in the wilderness, two hikers are safe at home tonight. >> our surae chinn caught up with them this afternoon. >> reporter: they only had enough food for their two-day hike. they got lost on their second day. so what they did was ration their energy bars. they took a quarter of the bar for each person per day. >> there was so much snow. there was no trail to be seen. >> reporter: jason hiser and neal peckens set out. they were halfway up the mountain when something terrible went wrong. peckens slipped and fell 30 yards down the steep terrain. >> when he fell, i was okay after he stopped sliding down the hill. >> reporter: worst still, their

mat blew away. they were lost in whiteout conditions. >> we couldn't tell if we were going down or up. >> reporter: they decided the safest thing to do was hunker down. they used their instincts. >> we did have an sos sign out of burnt logs. >> reporter: they were stranded for do you remember days rationing bars. 50 rescuers scoured the area on the ground and in the air. >> once we knew people were looking we felt better, but it was a little discouraging to have them fly over your head and not see you. so after we knew they were looking, it was just a matter of how long can we wait it out. >> reporter: the hikers never thought they wouldn't make it out alive, at least not for very long. >> it was a fleeting thought at the time. you don't think about that at the time. >> reporter: but it was their families who feared the worst. >> we were laying in there thinking about what our wives were thinking and our families and we can't do anything to change what they're thinking because there is no way to communicate with them. >> reporter: near families are relieved -- their families are relieved they're back home again

safe and sound. as for climbing up mountains, they say their wives won't be having any of that for quite awhile. and by the way, they lost 15 pounds in their four-day ordeal. this next story is why you shouldn't drink and fly. this man was on a flight in salt lake city when he woke up, started screaming, ran to the back of the plane and tried to open the emergency door. he said he thought the plane's wing was on fire. he also admits he was on a 50-day bender. 50 days. now he's facing 20 years in prison and a huge fine. scary stuff. one full day after presidential debate number two, some are concerned the showdown was less than presidential. they say the feisty event was short on decor rum. but tonight derek says it's overrated. >> for years now folks have been complaining debates are boring. why can't we have a more free

wheeling discussion, they say. let the candidates ask each other questions, they say. well now you see exactly what that looks like. and frankly i think it was great. candidates out from behind the podiums answering some really good questions from real voters and having to defend their ideas. mostly from each other. you add to that the raise er close election, and you've got maybe the best presidential debate ever. or at the very least, the most entertaining. now, some will complain that it was kind of hard to figure out who was telling the truth as both men kept arguing that the other guy was lying. well, that is what the fact checkers are for, people. and, remember, debates are not position papers. they are or at least they should be your opportunity to see whether your candidate can make a real world case for what he or she believes and then battle back when the other guy says something unexpected. sure, it's not perfect. and, sure, last night got a little uncomfortable at times. perhaps some candidates may want to go back to the podiums and the strict time limits, et

cetera. but if that happens, i'm betting many of us citizens will vote with our feet. well, more specifically, a remote. anita. >> it was something to watch. >> it was. i enjoyed it. i concur. >> i agree. 69 today. an average day. a gorgeous day. >> it was so nice today outside. >> now, tomorrow, we're saying a yellow alert for thursday. but the bulk of the day is going to be beautiful. it's going to be dry in the morning. let's start with a live look outside. this is our michael and son weather cam. we're looking at temperatures still on the mild side. still 58 downtown. dew points keep coming up. it's a good indication it's not going to get that cold tonight. we'll hold in the 50s because of clouds coming in. pressure rising a little bit. painfully slowly, if you will to 9.9 inches of mercury. no shortage of shower and storms here. this is say pretty impressive line for october and for this time of night to see a line of showers and storms stretching

from northern mississippi all the way through illinois. and that is what that same frontal system is going to roll through here tomorrow. but, again, this is going to be mainly a nightie vent for us. so -- night event for us. so thursday mainly dry. thursday night wet and stormy as the frontal boundary moves through between 6:00 p.m. and midnight. tonight just a few high clouds. that's about it. we'll keep it partly cloudy. and really pretty mild for this time of the year. okay. here is our future cast. tomorrow morning you need your sunglasses. there will be a few clouds, hagerstown and leesburg. that's it. there is no green blobs anywhere. we'll put this back into motion. no problem. a couple of sprinkles possible maybe out in the shenandoah valley. but still nothing other than clouds east of that. now, by 6:15 we see a few showers. these are green. these are light. winchester, manassas. back to the west, though, this is a line of showers and storms we're seeing develop from cumberland northward. and right now most of the computer models are taking the dynamics a little further north of town. that said maybe we get a showers

and storms by about this time tomorrow. it's going to be a tomorrow night event rather than a day event. you still need your sunglasses tomorrow morning. morning commute dry. and i think most of the evening commute will be dry as well. storms possible between about 7:00 p.m. and about midnight, personally north and west of -- especially north and west of town. overnight breezy and mild. low temperatures 46-54. tomorrow morning we're in pretty good shape. partly sunny. 40s and 50s. maybe a light jacket for the kids. and then by afternoon, just a shower possible late. the bulk of the day is fine. highs around 70. winds increase southeast 10-20. so code yellow on thursday. some late storms. 71. very nice on friday. shower possible. but it's okay. low 70s. and then cooler on saturday. homecoming for maryland. and also for howard university. mid 60s bright but brisk. next seven days, it warms up

next week. we're talking temperatures in the mid 70s by monday. upper 70s by tuesday. maybe a shower next wednesday. but the bulk of that day also will be rather nice. so, again, yellow alert thursday. but the day part fine. >> okay. >> okay. >> we'll plan for that. >> okay. you know, some folks may not remember that the giants lost to the redskins not once. >> twice. >> twice last year. >> superbowl champs, right? >> oh. >> it was a bright spot of the season last year. they got a chance to do it this weekend. it's going to be a big rivalry game, especially for the rookies. we'll hear from rgiii about the big game coming up in just a bit. plus college basketball starts in less than a month. and local teams are getting some recognition. sports is next.

and now 9 sports with kristen berset. >> the washington redskins have had a bit of an advantage. rgiii has been able to play without the stress of a division al rivalry. that's all about to change this weekend when the skins face the road to hit the reigning champs and the giants acknowledge they're going to have their

hands full with this offense. something that opponents and even mike shanahan aren't always used to with this team. >> every place i've been everybody says what do you call this offense. call it the east coast offense. i'm not sure what the name of the offense is. we're just experimenting with what robert can do. >> we're doing different things every game and we're going to see how teams respond to that. so we're making sure we execute what we go to the field to do. >> the hits keep coming from cyclist lance armstrong. another sponsor has dropped their endorsement. first it was nike. then anheuser-busch and energy foods. now trek bicycles who sponsored armstrong since before he even won his very first title has severed their ties as well. baseball playoffs game three of the nlcs, giants and cards tied at 1. matt carpenter with the big hit.

st. louis takes a 2-1 lead and then here comes torrential downpour. three and a half hour rain delay but the cards shut down the giants in the 8th and 9th. cards win game three 3-1. at the end of last season, terrapin head coach mark turjin had a challenge for the rising senior. come out of your shell and become a leader. aside from a dwi arrest in june, he has otherwise embraced the idea. he is one of two seniors remaining on this squad. today the terps were picked to finish sixth in the conference and they finished 6 and 10 last year. they said this is quite a different team. >> so far things are off to a good stop. i like my group. a little deeper. a little more talented. >> we should win more this year. we're more together as a team.

i think us as a whole is just a better -- more better team than we were last year. >> and check these threads out. these are the uniforms the terps are going to wear when they open the season november 9th against kentucky. now, underarmor says it's for the brooklyn dodgers because they're playing at the barclay. the fabric looks like the olden days but they got the uniforms for that game. >> so they're going to wear them the one game. >> yes. yellow and red. >> okay. >> yes. something different. >> we'll be right back.

that is 9news for tonight. we appreciate you staying up with us. >> and you can always find us at wusa9.com. who is next? >> letterman. >> letterman. good night.